Jared222
- Monday, February 22, 2021
The secret to Motion 40i's outstanding performance lies in its Folded Motion® tweeter, 5.5-inch aluminum cone midrange driver, dual 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port, and a proprietary Vojtko crossover network. This double woofer design produces vibrant, accurate deep bass performance. Motion 40i delivers the classic broad soundstage of the Motion Series from a newly designed enclosure enhanced by the slightest of modifications, including the drive-stabilizing dust cap design, stiffened motor suspension, and low-mounted woofers to reduce an acoustically harmful phenomenon known as floor bounce. The speaker's enclosure sports a reinforced baffle and a fabric grille. Available in three stylish finishes: gloss black, matte white, and red walnut.
What makes the Motion Series sound so amazing? MartinLogan's dedicated in-house engineering and design team started by utilizing and refining the most advanced, compact technologies and combining them with innovative engineering and time-honored cabinet construction techniques. The result is an emotionally engaging sound that rivals (and most times trounces) traditional loudspeakers of similar size and price. Our 'no compromise' philosophy gives Motion Series a unique sound you won't find anywhere else.
The success of the Motion Series is directly attributed to its close relation to MartinLogan’s legendary ultra-high-end electrostatic loudspeakers. The desire to transmute that level of performance into a more traditional loudspeaker at a more affordable price drove the initial design imperatives that created the Motion Series.
Custom built, low-distortion drivers pair high-power magnet structures with aluminum cone diaphragms to deliver massive excursion and sound output, preserve minute bass details, and maximize power handling capability, all without a hint of distortion. A unique concave dust cap design reinforces the strength and rigidity of the cone while reducing break up modes.
The use of aluminum for cones maximizes rigidity and strength of the drivers without adding excessive weight. This, along with the exceptional damping properties of aluminum, ensures the smooth, non-resonant response necessary for seamless blending with high-resolution Folded Motion tweeters. An added benefit of aluminum is its outstanding thermal conduction capability which allows cones to serve as efficient heat sinks for voice coils.
To deliver accuracy in the critical midrange, mid-frequency drivers feature a specially engineered "stiff" suspension. Stiffening the suspension (the spider and surround) raises the driver's resonant frequency and optimizes its performance to achieve a natural roll-off and inherently operate within an ideal range for a mid-frequency reproduction (as opposed to a comparably sized woofer).
Floorstanding Motion models utilize purpose built designs that feature woofers positioned low in the cabinet and close to the floor. This deliberate design addresses a phenomenon known as floor bounce where sound reflected off the floor (from drivers positioned high on a cabinet), and those aimed directly at the listener interfere with each other. Without addressing these issues, listeners would experience bloated bass and massive increases and decreases in sound levels throughout critical midrange frequencies. Through careful crossover design and driver positioning, floorstanding Motion speakers deliver a flat, balanced response through the bass and midrange regions. Such considerations are crucial when seeking to achieve accurate reproduction of vocals and instruments such as kick drums.
Premium Motion Series speakers feature proprietary Vojtko crossover networks using polypropylene and low-DF electrolytic capacitors, custom-wound inductors, and thermal and current protection.
Vojtko crossovers are named after MartinLogan's chief audio technologist, Joe Vojtko. His unique approach to crossover design is as big of a part of the "MartinLogan Sound" as are electrostatic and Folded Motion thin-film driver technologies. A Vojtko crossover isn't so much a set of design requirements as it is a philosophy. Vojtko crossovers are designed in such a way that all drivers are kept within their optimal frequency range and balanced with one another. The drivers themselves are as much a part of a Vojtko crossover as are capacitors and resistors. Before the design of any crossover begins, drivers are carefully selected or designed to operate within a very intentional frequency range and with precise and predictable performance parameters. Vojtko crossovers are always built from high-quality parts, and care is taken to avoid overly complex topologies—a straightforward objective due to the careful selection of woofers and tweeters. The final (and most critical) aspect of a Vojtko Crossover is that final voicing is conducted in a space that is indicative of a real-world environment. This pragmatic approach allows MartinLogan speakers to sound their best in real-world rooms.
Discreetly hidden behind fabric wrapped magnetic grilles, Folded Motion and aluminum cone drivers are held securely in place beneath matte black trim that masks tweeter and woofer mounting hardware for a clean, modern aesthetic. Solid cabinets, designed to eliminate fidelity robbing vibrations, are constructed from 18mm (0.7-inch) MDF with 31mm (1.2-inch) thick front baffles. Motion 60XTi and 50XTi feature additional internal bracing to further reduce cabinet resonance.
MartinLogan's premier Motion Series speakers are available in three luxurious finishes and matching metallic trim—gloss black with black grilles and gunmetal grey trim, matte white with silver grilles and silver trim, and red walnut with black grilles and champagne colored trim.
Premium gold-plated 5-way tool-less binding posts assure a stable connection while accommodating a wide range of connections.
Two sets of binding posts accommodate bi-wire connections to increase signal carrying conductors and allow each portion of the crossover to be directly coupled to the amplifier.
"MartinLogan has proved that they are not only adept at producing superb electrostatic loudspeakers but that their skill has been transferred to great dynamic speaker designs as well."
"[Translated] It seems to me that these are some of the most interesting universal floorstanders in their price category. Motion 40i offers a nice modern design, they will be as friendly as possible to any of your amplifiers, they don’t need any special place in the apartment and, most importantly, they have a lot of fascinating high-quality sound that you don’t get tired of."
"MartinLogan Motion 40i is a great-sounding and fairly affordable entry-level audiophile speaker. Its elegant design, accurate, punchy, and controlled bass, clear and dynamic mids, and sparkling treble make it one of the best floorstanding speakers under $2,500."
"The MartinLogan Motion 40i’s point out this incredible soundstage performance better than any floor standing cone-based speakers that this writer has heard in a long time."
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"What you get is a serious value for your money. Beautiful, thoughtfully designed speakers with a sound that begs you to plant yourself on the couch and watch movies for hours on end. And that might be the only negative point, you might need to budget in the additional cost of a personal trainer, to get your ass off the couch."
Absolutely amazing, warm and bright effortless sound. The break in period meant nothing to me, they sounded pristine right out of the box. The more i pushed them into higher levels the more they seemed to want. Beautiful detailed mids and highs and the 2- 6 inch woofers impressed beyond my expectations. They sit about 6 inches off a wall and produce very tight bass. I put my two svs subs back in thier boxes. They must cancel each other out. No better bass with them. ( obviously a room correction issue) but the these 2 towers alone do the job for music all-day long. A very long speaker search has ended quite nicely. I couldn't be happier with my choice.